


Inscription

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [228]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 12:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21410014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Sam held her breath as she stared into the eyes of her commanding officer. They were both sitting cross-legged and facing each other as the council leaders of PX9-6JY stood in a circle around the couple. It was a cosy arrangement to say the least.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bizarre Holidays [228]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234973
Comments: 64
Kudos: 116





	Inscription

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘World Calligraphy Day’ (14 August).

Sam held her breath as she stared into the eyes of her commanding officer. They were both sitting cross-legged and facing each other as the council leaders of PX9-6JY stood in a circle around the couple. It was a cosy arrangement to say the least, but instead of feeling awkward, Sam could only focus on the intimacy of the situation.

“Are you sure you’re OK with this?”

She nodded at his murmured question but her smile faltered when Jack reached out and gently wrapped his hand around her lower arm. She inhaled sharply at the contact and when he looked at her, she tried to relax.

“I’m OK,” she whispered a moment later.

Keeping his gaze locked on her, the colonel retrieved an ornately decorated brush from one of the leaders. The bristles had been dipped into gold paint and he studied it, then Daniel, who’d now crouched down beside the pair.

“Remember,” Daniel said quietly, “you’re not supposed to think about this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack answered. “I got it. I’m just supposed to know what to write,” he added dismissively and Sam resisted the urge to smile.

She knew her CO didn’t share Daniel’s enthusiasm of the ceremony. Both she and Jack had been chosen to partake of the event – based on the locals’ assumption that they were married – and in order for any potential trade deal to continue between the two worlds, the Teagenians had requested they follow one of their customs. It was meant to show to the couple and those around them that they were soulmates and were in bonded together in every aspect of life. If this was the case, the Teagenians explained, they wouldn’t need words to convey their thoughts. Instead, they would instinctively _know_ what to communicate to their partner – and it was this message that had to be painted onto their partner’s skin.

“Are you sure this is safe?”

Sam quickly glanced up at Daniel who nodded, then shrugged. “I think so. I mean – I’m pretty sure it’s safe,” he amended at Jack’s thunderous expression. “Just write something,” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

With a sigh, Jack closed his eyes briefly, and then readjusted his grip on the brush.

“OK,” he muttered. “Here goes.”

As soon as the tip of the brush touched Sam’s wrist, she felt its warmth. It didn’t burn or hurt, nor did she feel like she was in any danger, but it felt… odd. She couldn’t explain it, but when her attention fell to where her CO was drawing patterns against her skin, she frowned.

She had no idea what he was writing, but the symbols looked familiar and she was mesmerized by every stroke of the brush and how he carefully ministered to her skin like it was calligraphy to parchment.

“Sir –”

“I don’t know, Carter,” he interrupted softly, not looking at up. “It’s just…”

“It is his unconscious mind speaking,” one of the leaders supplied and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daniel start to get animated by the discovery.

“I’m almost finished,” Jack murmured as the pad of his thumb brushed over the pulse point on her wrist and Sam returned her attention to him. She forced herself to relax as she concentrated on the feel of his skin against hers and how the brush tip barely touched her arm. It was light and it tickled and contrasted deliciously with the firm hold he had of her wrist.

“It’s Ancient,” she heard Daniel whisper.

“What?”

“Jack, he – he’s writing in Ancient.”

“Shut up, Daniel,” Jack whispered. “Close your eyes, Carter.”

“Sir?”

His attention was solely focused on his task as he moved along her arm. “Trust me.”

The last two words were spoken so quietly and with such reverence that Daniel froze. Sam did as she was told and as soon as she closed her eyes, her arm and chest started to burn.

“Finished,” the colonel whispered.

Her eyes flew open and Jack stared calmly at her as the word that had been painted on her skin felt like it was being scorched into her heart. She looked down to find the gold paint glimmer in the low light of the tent.

“Amacuse,” Daniel murmured and immediately his tone put Sam on edge but before she could ask what it meant, one of the Teagenians took the brush from the colonel’s hand, dipped it into the bowl of gold paint nearby and presented it to her.

Silently, Jack held out his arm and Sam slowly wrapped her fingers around his wrist, her gaze lingering on how his tanned skin contrasted with her paler skin. Without thinking, she ran the back of her thumb over the inside of his wrist. She started to paint and she instinctively seemed to know what her chosen word would be. Which was also odd as it was a word she’d only heard once before – by Martouf when he spoke about his love for Jolinar.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she glanced at the man in front of her and smiled nervously. “Close your eyes,” she whispered and with a final stroke of the brush, she leaned back and studied the symbols that now decorated his arm.

_Sim’ka._

“It means betrothed,” Daniel whispered as he turned to Teal’c and the two shared a knowing, but not overly surprised, look.

“The ceremony is now complete.”

Both Jack and Sam jumped at the interruption and she looked up to find the council leaders smiling at them. Figuring they’d passed whatever test they’d been set, Sam grabbed hold of Jack’s hand as he helped her to her feet. They didn’t say anything; instead they held each other’s gaze while Daniel spoke quietly with the council.

“Uh, Jack? Sam?”

Again, they jumped at the sound of Daniel’s voice and Sam felt the room start to spin. 

“Whoa.”

That was exactly what she thought, but she never said a word and she frowned. She glanced to her left just in time to see the colonel lift a hand to his head.

“Sir? Are you –”

Suddenly, he fell to his knees and she tried to get to him but everything around started to blur. The last thing she remembered was the panicked yells of Daniel and Teal’c as she collapsed by Jack’s side.

**Author's Note:**

> I was really hoping to catch up with these holidays and finish the series at the end of December like I had originally said at the beginning of this year. Realistically, however, even if I was to do nothing but write for this over the next number of weeks, I’m not going to complete it in time. I know most of you won’t mind this delay – and you have all been super patient and understanding with me throughout this whole thing (thank you!!) – but I am majorly disappointed in myself that I haven’t been able to keep up with this challenge. I feel like I’m letting you all down, but I promise that I will still keep updating this series until every day of the year has been covered. Thank you! X


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